


Old Steps

by nymja



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Force-Sensitive Finn, Rating may go up, Temporarily on hiatus, Tumblr fill, no one is related
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:45:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5691652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymja/pseuds/nymja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During her training with Luke, Rey is given a mission to retrieve ancient Jedi artifacts that may reveal more about the forgotten ways of the Force. Accompanied by Finn, and chased by Kylo Ren, the journey proves more than Rey bargained for when the most powerful Force technique requires a partner to complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Steps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starforged](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starforged/gifts).



> Loosely inspired by The Golden Cane Warrior, which is an awesome movie and it is on Netflix so go do that. Most Jedi mythos is drawn from KOTOR/EU, but you definitely won’t need to be familiar with either to enjoy the story!

The day starts out like any other. They wake at dawn, cover their supplies, and set out for the ruins. The first temple is one that sprawls—almost daily Rey finds something new: a different cavern, an etching she’s never seen before, a place for birds to nest or a plant she gives a name to. Luke, as always, is by her side as they explore the temple ruins together. Sometimes he explains things to her. Usually he lets her discover it on her own.

Today is different. She can’t explain why. It just is.

Luke is silent as they make the considerable hike up to the top site. That in and of itself isn’t unusual—often, Luke’s conversation is warm but spare, and they exist in a comfortable sort of silence known only to those who have been alone for so long. But there’s something off about his gait: his shoulders are too tense, his walk is a little slower than usual. Whatever lies up ahead for the two of them, Rey feels like her master isn’t looking forward to it.

“Luke?” She finally asks, as they round another set of crumbling, eroded stairs.

“Yes?” He says after a beat, his thoughts clearly preoccupied.

Rey worries her lower lip for a moment, her hand starts to fidget with the holster over her shoulder—the one which holds her double-bladed lightsaber. It’s a strange device, both new and old. It’s only been hers for a few months, but it’s made of salvaged pieces much older: the hilt grafted from Luke’s old fighter, the crystal retrieved from one of the ruins on this island, the wiring, lens, and power cell taken from the auxiliary tool kits of the _Falcon_ before Chewie and R2-D2 flew away. It’s a comfortable weight she feels like she’s been meant to carry.

“What’s wrong?” She manages. She’s still not sure how _private_ the private is for Luke, or anyone really. Another aspect of growing up in a trading outpost named after a Hutt.

He seems to struggle for words. Or phrasing. He eventually settles on a bitter sort of smile, lopsided and uncomfortable. “Nothing we can avoid.”

She’s not sure what to make of that.

\--

They make their way to what Rey has been internally referring to as the Archive. It’s a nearly open space—only two walls remain of what Rey imagines was once a great tower. The stair wells start and stop—sometimes they crumble apart at their ends. The stone is very old, and they use the Force to help navigate their journey. Rey gives Luke a hand up on the particularly difficult ones, to which he always has the same response:

A labored inhale. His hands on his knees. And a grumble, “Thanks, I’m getting old.”

She smiles. She likes his quirks. She likes that they’ve stayed together long enough for her to know them.

“Not much further,” he observes, dusting off his robes.

Rey follows his gaze and looks up. Half of the ceiling is still in place, blocking the bright light of the sun that has fought its way past the overcast. At the top there is one more floor, one she hasn’t seen before.

She rests her hands on her hips. “What are we looking for?”

“Something I need to show you.” He closes his eyes, takes a breath, and leaps. His metallic hand catches the next ledge up, and with a show of strength Rey hasn’t seen yet, he propels himself up.

She channels her Force jump, and follows.

\--

What they’re looking for, is a…strange. She’s never seen anything like it before. Against the wall is a tall shelf, made of wood, and on it are a series of mismatched leather rectangles. It’s not until Luke pulls one out with gentle hands that she sees the leaves within it—made on lighter, thinner material like cloth.

“Books,” Luke explains, blowing gently on the one in his hands and sending up a shower of dust.

Her eyes widen. “As in holobooks?”

“That’s right.” He grins a little as he tosses her one. She catches it with deft hands.

It’s…heavy. Much heavier than a holobook or datapad. She trails her palm over it, looking at the etched symbol in the leather. It’s not a language she recognizes, though she can only read in three. She taps it, using her thumb to pry it open. The same sort of language is written on the lighter material, and it’s all unintelligible to her until she reaches the last point.

Illustrations, she can recognize. An earlier version of an astronavigational chart, from the looks of it.

Rey looks up. “How old _is_ this place?”

Luke snorts. “Old.” He walks over and points to the maps. “I’ve spent the last two years studying this language. I’ve made a little progress, enough to figure out what these say.” He turns the book around, so it’s apparently rightside up. “I’ve seen it in the Force. These are the paths that must be walked.”

“What for?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t _know_?”

“Trust me, you’ll get more comfortable with that feeling.”

“So…” Her heart thrums in anticipation, “Does that mean…”

Luke looks at her. She, once again, sees an expression cross his face that she can’t quite interpret. She’s still learning her master as she learns from him. Finally, he raises his eyebrows.

“Sick of Ahch-To already?”

It’s been nearly six months. It’s a far cry from the fourteen she spent on Jakku, and they both know it. So she grins, “A little.”

He laughs, a strange sound that always reminds her of sand clogging up terrain movers. She still likes it. “Know anyone we can call for a ride?”

A warm feeling settles in her stomach. “I’ve got an idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> Future chapters will be longer, but here's something of a teaser!


End file.
